Association of Bacterial Nanocellulose with Fibroin to Develop a Wound Healing Bioproduct

Bacterial nanocellulose (BC) is an extracellular polysaccharide secreted mainly by bacteria of genera Gluconacetobacter. Different from vegetable cellulose, BC is produced in pure form, free from other polymers. Previous studies have already reported the potential of BC in medical applications. A promising and innovative alternative to optimize the benefits attributed to BC would be its association with polymeric composites, such as fibroin; with the aim of overcoming its limitations and increasing the field of its applications. Thus, we aimed the development of bioproduct for healing by associating BC and fibroin (BC-FB). The incorporation of nanocellulose into fibroin was carried out by immersion at 25 °C, followed by its characterization by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR-ATR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and mucoadhesion were performed. FTIR-ATR showed the presence of characteristic groups from BNC and fibroin in the final bioproduct, as well in EDS analysis. Based on SEM images, it was possible to note a similarity in formed network between BC and BC-FB, and a reduction in pores in the second sample. During mucoadhesion assay, the force necessary to remove BC-FB was lower than the force for only BC (0.456 N and 0.493 N, respectively). There was also a decrease in the mucoadhesive strength after incorporation of fibroin (from 1.656 N to 1.276 N). Once the structure is essential for materials, the BC-FB membrane could be explored in other research, such as filter membrane or bone regeneration. Additionally, the membrane production by immersion did not use hazardous substances, promoting environmental-friendly practices and reducing costs.